


All Things Being Unequal...

by ProtoNeoRomantic



Series: Patch Works [3]
Category: Buffy the Vampire Slayer
Genre: Choices, Couple fighting, Developing Relationship, Discussion of Abortion, Equality, Equity, F/M, Feminist Themes, Gender, Love, Power Dynamics, Power Imbalance, Pregnancy Options, Prerogatives, Secret Relationship, Sex, The way men and women have behaved for centuries, Unplanned Pregnancy
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-08-13
Updated: 2014-08-13
Packaged: 2018-02-12 23:09:44
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,099
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2127945
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProtoNeoRomantic/pseuds/ProtoNeoRomantic
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Giles seems to think he should have something to say about Buffy's pregnancy.</p>
            </blockquote>





	All Things Being Unequal...

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Lady's Choice](https://archiveofourown.org/works/1223416) by [ProtoNeoRomantic](https://archiveofourown.org/users/ProtoNeoRomantic/pseuds/ProtoNeoRomantic). 



> Not unlike what Joss said about Buffy & Giles' very first fight scene in Welcome to the Hellmouth, I 'shot' this a little harsher the first time but ended up redoing it, not wanting to go quite that dark considering the relationship dynamic I was working towards between them. This is the way it went the first time.
> 
> For more information on Canon Compliance/Divergence and Story Mechanics and Themes, see series description.

Buffy gave Giles a miserable sort of look, one he knew a little too well. “What is it?” he asked apprehensively.

“You _might_ want to sit down,” she suggested, looking up from the cereal box with a weak smile.

Giles rubbed his temples, suddenly feeling very tired, impatient even. “You know I don’t like to play games, Buffy,” he said, looking her sternly in the eye.

“I’m pregnant,” she said, dropping her eyes, sounding maybe just a little bit guilty. “I found out last night.”

His expression froze in mid-scowl, melting into a look of excruciating guilt and pity. “Oh, Buffy,” he whispered, "I’m so sorry."

“Wow,” said Buffy, struggling for a lighter tone, feeling sort of kicked in the stomach, “remind me not to get one of those baby books that asks ‘what was the father’s first reaction?’”

“Oh for the love of God, Buffy!” Giles snapped, “this is nothing to joke about!”

“Well excuse me for trying to lighten the mood!” she retorted defensively.  

“The Council usually likes to handle these situations internally,” he went on meditatively, almost as if Buffy weren’t there, “but in this case, I think it’s best that we don’t involve them.”

“Giles,” said Buffy seriously, “I’m not going to ‘handle’ any ‘situation’, with or without the Council’s involvement.”

“What are you saying?” Giles demanded, wide eyed with shock.

“I’m having the baby,” she confirmed resolutely.

“Buffy, don’t be ridiculous,” Giles scolded.

“ _Excuse_ me?” Buffy demanded, eyes flashing, “What gives you the right to speak to me this way?”

“Somebody has too!” he said hotly, “and as your Watcher it’s my responsibility to—”

“To what? Knock me up then order me to have an abortion?” Buffy demanded.

“Kn—Or—!... I—!” for once in his life Giles was well and truly speechless. He took off his glasses, as if he were going to clean them, but flung them against the wall instead.  "I think perhaps we both need to take a step back and approach this rationally," he began again, in a thin, tight, harried voice that didn't sound so much 'rational' as condescending and pissed off.  

“This is my life!” Buffy shouted at him, near angry tears, “It doesn’t belong to the Council!”

“Sod the Council!” Giles shouted right back, losing his head even more, moving towards Buffy in a way that suggested some inclination to lay hands on her. “This is both our lives you’re talking about, or have you forgotten that little detail!”

Buffy took a couple of very deep breaths, circling behind the table with an eye towards Giles’ safety. “Maybe,” she pointed out, calm only in comparison to her Watcher, “Kind of.  But you’re not the one getting ‘handled internally’!”

Giles took a few deep breaths himself. “Buffy, you’re seventeen years old!” he pointed out, trying another tack.

“And I might not live to be eighteen!” she shot back. “I _probably_ won’t live to be twenty-five, so don’t you dare try to ‘someday’ me like you don’t know any better!”

Giles sat down at the table and buried his face in his hands. “I don’t have an adequate response to that.” He admitted at last, getting a handle on himself somewhat.

“I have more to say,” Buffy pouted, “if you’re done shouting at me.”

“Oh, Buffy,” he murmured, burying his face in his hands again, “I’m such an ass.”

“That I’ll have to agree with,” she said dryly, more not-kidding than kidding, but not too bitterly.

Giles sighed resignedly. “What else did you need to tell me?” he asked.

“When I tell you,” she warned him nervously, “you’re going to be mad again.”

“Good Lord,” he murmured, brows knitted, “what could you possibly be afraid to tell me after that?”

Buffy took a deep breath and looked at her toes.  Her stomach was doing somersaults again. "There are already rumors about us all over school,"  she said finally, "thanks to Amy Madison."

“Good Lord!” Giles gasped for the second time in as many minutes, sounding angrier than ever.

“Willow must have told her everything,” Buffy admitted miserably. “Amy also told everyone I was pregnant. I mean... she was just guessing, but it was a good guess.”

“Does Snyder know?” Giles asked quietly, his voice gone suddenly tight and cold.

"He doesn’t believe it," Buffy tried to reassure him. "He actually called me into his office and accused me of starting the rumors just to hurt the reputation of ‘his’ school."

“Hump,” Giles snorted scornfully, “typical Snyder. Thank God he’s such an idiot. Still, he may believe it when he has more evidence!" he pointed out harshly, not the least bit appeased.

Buffy sighed. She knew he was not exactly wrong about that fact, but the way he said it!  He was acting like she'd done this on purpose or something. Which, there again, there was a way in which that was not entirely false, but that didn't make it a fair assessment.  “We’ll... figure it out as we go along,” she said finally, for lack of something better to say.

“The Council aren't fools,” he pointed out tensely, “Neither is your mother.  What do you propose we tell them when these ugly rumors are followed by obvious physical confirmation?”

This time Buffy was the one without an adequate response. She reached across the table and took Giles’ hand. “We’ll figure it out,” she repeated warmly, with more conviction than she actually felt, trying to pull him back over to her side of... whatever it was that they suddenly seemed to be on two sides of.

Giles smiled sadly and patted her hand in a way that was affectionate, but not very. Dismissive almost. She could feel his heart closing up. “Yes,” he murmured vaguely, “we’ll figure something out.” He stood up, turning half away from her, took out his pocket watch and flipped it open to check the time. It was one of those dislocating moments. Giles was like a character in a novel from another time period. He was a sophisticated Edwardian gentleman. She was a pregnant ex-cheerleader slouching at his kitchen table in her gym clothes. “It’s nearly five,” he said stiffly. “You’d better be getting home before your mother starts to worry.”

“It’s only a fifteen minute walk,” Buffy pointed out.

“I need... time to think,” he said tightly, “I’ll... see you tomorrow.” Buffy’s eyes widened. She _was_ being dismissed. Really and truly. Was this what they were supposed to be calling, love? In the words of Inigo Montoya, Buffy thought,  _Chou kip chusing that word!  I do no thing it means wha'chou thing it means!_


End file.
